Sleuthing With Regards To Respiratory Alkalosis And Low C02

tara

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My understanding (open to improvement) is that one reason the body can breathe at a higher rate - and breathe out more CO2 than is normally ideal - is to compensate for an overly acidic state. I think this is related to what Yerrag is referring to, though I'm not up with the details of how the kidneys etc handle these issues.

When I came across Buteyko's ideas, I made more progress with breathing when I attended to diet too, including more of those alkaline minerals as well as attending to blood sugars and other factors.
 

yerrag

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My understanding (open to improvement) is that one reason the body can breathe at a higher rate - and breathe out more CO2 than is normally ideal - is to compensate for an overly acidic state. I think this is related to what Yerrag is referring to, though I'm not up with the details of how the kidneys etc handle these issues.

When I came across Buteyko's ideas, I made more progress with breathing when I attended to diet too, including more of those alkaline minerals as well as attending to blood sugars and other factors.
Absolutely Tara. You actually gave me a start in understanding the idea that the body will automatically want to expel CO2 when the ecf pH reaches a certain acidic level. It was hard to see how that works but YouTube videos on metabolic alkal/acidosis and respiratory alk/acidosis were very helpful in gaining that understanding. Otherwise, everything short of a video is hard to understand. Headscratchers!

As far as Buteyko goes, it helps to understand that the benefit of practicing Buteyko and the exercises to increase the control pause is a slow process, mainly because increasing the carbonic acid content in our ecf/plasma can only be done slowly over time. When we increase CO2 in our blood through a session of Buteyko, we slightly increase the acidity in our blood. The increase is not drastic and falls within tolerable range, but we give the kidneys time to rebalance the pH over a day or two, or even three. Over time, with continual practice of Buteyko, the CO2 component that contributes to our ecf acidity increases, as the other components- e. g. lactic acid, keto acids - decrease. You can very well appreciate now how changing our lifestyle along with Buteyko will help. Such as changing our food to maximize on oxidative metabolism and to minimize on fatty acid metabolism as well as the inefficiency of glycolytic metabolism (especially anaerobic, where lactic acid is produced). As well as intake of sufficient electrolytes as these are needed in expelling acidity through the kidneys.

But when someone had a really acidic ecf, Buteyko won't work because the body simply cannot accept the extra acidic load, no matter how slight, that comes with practicing Buteyko. I think this is an aspect that many Buteyko coaches fail to realize.
 

tara

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You can very well appreciate now how changing our lifestyle along with Buteyko will help.
But when someone had a really acidic ecf, Buteyko won't work because the body simply cannot accept the extra acidic load, no matter how slight, that comes with practicing Buteyko. I think this is an aspect that many Buteyko coaches fail to realize.
I learned quite a bit about Buteyko from Artour Rakhimov's Normal Breathing site. He talks about other aspects of lifestyle as part of Buteyko's method, not just the breathing itself. Factors including exercise, being outdoors, getting enough calcium, etc.
 

yerrag

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I learned quite a bit about Buteyko from Artour Rakhimov's Normal Breathing site. He talks about other aspects of lifestyle as part of Buteyko's method, not just the breathing itself. Factors including exercise, being outdoors, getting enough calcium, etc.
I have to read again his book, a lecture given by Buteyko. It would make more sense now as I can tie many things together now. I always look for coherence, and as Peat would say "no imaginary pumps."
 
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Caitlin

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It's hard for me to explain (it's been hard for me to make a distinction between ketone bodies and keto acids; all attempts have failed, perhaps I shouldn't be rushing myself), but it seems that high beta hydroxybutyrate means you're relying on fatty acid oxidation, and that you're producing keto acids, and these contribute to metabolic acidosis. I don't know if you have any issues with your sugar metabolism that you seem to be relying heavily on fatty acid metabolism. What are your HbA1c results? Have you take glucose tolerance tests, and if so, what does it tell you? High keto acids will contribute to metabolic acidosis.

The high anion gap means you have high ecf and plasma acidity. Need to look into your metabolism more, as well as take more supplemental electrolytes such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium, as well as sodium.
I'm not so sure your problem is in the lungs. You say you have respiratory alkalosis only because, as I understand it, you breathe a lot, or go to the side of hyperventilating. But it could also mean that you are breathing out a lot of CO2 only because your metabolic acidosis condition forces you to breathe out CO2, which requires you to breathe a lot.

I'm given to think that you need to push your body into re-establishing itself to rely on glucose metabolism and to lessen its use of fatty acid metabolism. And glucose metabolism has to be the one that produces the most energy as well as a lot of CO2 - oxidative metabolism. We have to find out what is keeping you from this.
Buteyko won't help you as your problem isn't respiratory alkalosis as much as it is metabolic acidosis. You're fighting your body's impulses as your body wants to expel CO2 while you are trying to put it back. Your body is only able to expel CO2 as a way to lower acidity (or increase pH) as it's not able to expel the other acids in your body through the lungs, and going thru the lungs is the fastest way to deal with getting rid of acidity (even as it appears to be failing in doing so given the amount of acidity to be expelled). Your kidneys also resolve pH imbalance but at a slower rate but it seems it is in a perpetual process of catching up, as it seems your body's metabolic processes are producing a lot of acidity.

It's best to resolve this as this condition is stressful, with the pH imbalance. It's also taxing on your kidneys. But most of all, this is your internal balance we're talking about. It throws you off on many counts, and that's why you're experiencing issues. The good thing is that when you fix this, you will see all those issues go away.


Very interesting. Do you think there's any way that I am expelling Co2 and it is not showing up on the blood tests? I mean, various capnometer tests (which most traditional MDs don't seem to "approve" of or don't know of), from my Buteyko practitioners showed that I my C02 levels were low (below 35, EXCEPT when I practiced the reduced breathing I could get the capnometer readings to brush up 35). I have been looking through all my old bloodwork (from December 2018 back to 2011) and my C02 has been normal on every test. Same with Lactic Acid. this is killing me. The only deviation I could find was the high anion gap, but the last test was 2016. I'm going to ask the doctor to test again.

Further to your earlier questions, I found even more bloodwork from when I had malaria in December (that was fun). My pulse oximeter readings--even during the horrific malaria -- were high every time (97-100). Yerrag, I am mentioning bc you had asked about those readings.

i found one lab in the past few years when my doc tested my thiamine and it was TOO high. This might have been because I was taking too much B-Complex at the time. I'm guessing that is why it was high. I did supplement with it in the past, and on the same test there was high B12 and B6, too. Regardless, supplementation didn't aid my situation:(

Also, as per your question about the Hemoglobin A-1C, it has been in the normal-high range. One test from 2016 (the last time it was done) was 5.4 and another was 5.5.

What are the other glucose metabolism tests you speak of?

Thanks, as always!
 

yerrag

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Do you think there's any way that I am expelling Co2 and it is not showing up on the blood tests? I mean, various capnometer tests (which most traditional MDs don't seem to "approve" of or don't know of), from my Buteyko practitioners showed that I my C02 levels were low (below 35, EXCEPT when I practiced the reduced breathing I could get the capnometer readings to brush up 35). I have been looking through all my old bloodwork (from December 2018 back to 2011) and my C02 has been normal on every test. Same with Lactic Acid. this is killing me. The only deviation I could find was the high anion gap, but the last test was 2016. I'm going to ask the doctor to test again.

If your tidal CO2 is low on the capnometer tests, it may just mean that you're not producing much CO2 from your metabolism. That's a possibility. Since your lactic acid test says your lactic acid is low, then there must be something else that could be causing high ecf acidity. What could it be? Could it be keto acids, since you tested high on beta hydroxybutyrate? Also, you have a high anion gap of 20, and optimal is between 7-12. With a high anion gap, it makes the case that you have metabolic acidosis, and a possible need for thiamine supplementation. One thing you can do is to test your urine's pH throughout the day. Optimal range is pH range somewhere between 6.4 - 6.8. This at least keeps us from guessing on your body's alkalinity/acidity.

Further to your earlier questions, I found even more bloodwork from when I had malaria in December (that was fun). My pulse oximeter readings--even during the horrific malaria -- were high every time (97-100). Yerrag, I am mentioning bc you had asked about those readings.
The range you mention - hard to give conclusions. If it's very often at 100, there's need to look further, as at 100 it means your tissue oxygenation is very low. But unless you have an oximeter to monitor yourself, it's difficult to use oximeter readings from the past. If you have a Samsung Galaxy model s6 and above, it has a built-in oximeter along with a heart rate monitor.

i found one lab in the past few years when my doc tested my thiamine and it was TOO high. This might have been because I was taking too much B-Complex at the time. I'm guessing that is why it was high. I did supplement with it in the past, and on the same test there was high B12 and B6, too. Regardless, supplementation didn't aid my situation
Thiamine is needed for glucose metabolism. It was high at that time you were supplementing a lot, but thiamine stores don't stay long in your body as it's water soluble and doesn't last as long as the fat-soluble vitamins. I'm not saying that thiamine will just solve your issues as there may be something else that's keeping you from metabolizing sugar properly. But we don't know and we have to ask the right questions.

Also, as per your question about the Hemoglobin A-1C, it has been in the normal-high range. One test from 2016 (the last time it was done) was 5.4 and another was 5.5.

What are the other glucose metabolism tests you speak of?

Your HbA1C looks okay but that was from 3 years ago already. If you have a glucometer handy, it would help as you could monitor your blood sugar easily every hour for say 5 hours starting before a meal and every hour after. I do that myself even if I'm not diabetic nor hypoglycemic. It would give you an idea of how high and low your blood sugar fluctuates and how stable it is in-between meals. I can at least get an idea how well your body is metabolizing sugar. While it does not directly measure insulin, it would still give us an idea. Insulin is important. If you're low on it, insulin won't be there to tell your body to stop metabolizing fats, for example. And if that were the case, you'd be relying on fatty acid metabolism for energy and you won't be metabolizing sugar. I would expect your blood sugar to be high but since your HbA1C isn't bad, I can't say that's happening.

To get a better feel on the ground, I think testing your blood sugar with a glucometer (Terumo is the brand I use) would be helpful. This is just a suggestion. It has worked for me, athough it isn't conventional and there may be people in this forum who would be taken aback by this suggestion. It's minimally invasive and a glucometer isn't expensive, even for the consumables. Diabetics use it all the time and it's very helpful as a monitoring tool. And the nicest thing about it is that you don't have to go to a doctor or to a lab to get your blood sugar status. And you get more data to be useful in diagonosing your condition. If you go to a lab, they'll only get your FBS, which is one data point of your blood sugar after you had fasted overnight. You get one static data instead of a set of data during the day where you can make a curve or establish a trend from it.

The reality is that our doctors have their hands tied often. You don't see them as often as you need to see them for them to get useful data to be able to diagnose your condition effectively. So with the limited data they're playing a game of approximation basing their diagnoses of rules of thumbs or best guesses. With better data that comes from you personally getting the data you have more quality data to observe and to analyze and to draw conclusions from.
 
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Caitlin

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If your tidal CO2 is low on the capnometer tests, it may just mean that you're not producing much CO2 from your metabolism. That's a possibility. Since your lactic acid test says your lactic acid is low, then there must be something else that could be causing high ecf acidity. What could it be? Could it be keto acids, since you tested high on beta hydroxybutyrate? Also, you have a high anion gap of 20, and optimal is between 7-12. With a high anion gap, it makes the case that you have metabolic acidosis, and a possible need for thiamine supplementation. One thing you can do is to test your urine's pH throughout the day. Optimal range is pH range somewhere between 6.4 - 6.8. This at least keeps us from guessing on your body's alkalinity/acidity.


The range you mention - hard to give conclusions. If it's very often at 100, there's need to look further, as at 100 it means your tissue oxygenation is very low. But unless you have an oximeter to monitor yourself, it's difficult to use oximeter readings from the past. If you have a Samsung Galaxy model s6 and above, it has a built-in oximeter along with a heart rate monitor.


Thiamine is needed for glucose metabolism. It was high at that time you were supplementing a lot, but thiamine stores don't stay long in your body as it's water soluble and doesn't last as long as the fat-soluble vitamins. I'm not saying that thiamine will just solve your issues as there may be something else that's keeping you from metabolizing sugar properly. But we don't know and we have to ask the right questions.



Your HbA1C looks okay but that was from 3 years ago already. If you have a glucometer handy, it would help as you could monitor your blood sugar easily every hour for say 5 hours starting before a meal and every hour after. I do that myself even if I'm not diabetic nor hypoglycemic. It would give you an idea of how high and low your blood sugar fluctuates and how stable it is in-between meals. I can at least get an idea how well your body is metabolizing sugar. While it does not directly measure insulin, it would still give us an idea. Insulin is important. If you're low on it, insulin won't be there to tell your body to stop metabolizing fats, for example. And if that were the case, you'd be relying on fatty acid metabolism for energy and you won't be metabolizing sugar. I would expect your blood sugar to be high but since your HbA1C isn't bad, I can't say that's happening.

To get a better feel on the ground, I think testing your blood sugar with a glucometer (Terumo is the brand I use) would be helpful. This is just a suggestion. It has worked for me, athough it isn't conventional and there may be people in this forum who would be taken aback by this suggestion. It's minimally invasive and a glucometer isn't expensive, even for the consumables. Diabetics use it all the time and it's very helpful as a monitoring tool. And the nicest thing about it is that you don't have to go to a doctor or to a lab to get your blood sugar status. And you get more data to be useful in diagonosing your condition. If you go to a lab, they'll only get your FBS, which is one data point of your blood sugar after you had fasted overnight. You get one static data instead of a set of data during the day where you can make a curve or establish a trend from it.

The reality is that our doctors have their hands tied often. You don't see them as often as you need to see them for them to get useful data to be able to diagnose your condition effectively. So with the limited data they're playing a game of approximation basing their diagnoses of rules of thumbs or best guesses. With better data that comes from you personally getting the data you have more quality data to observe and to analyze and to draw conclusions from.

Thanks for all of this Yerrag. Just to clarify, my lactic acid test is not low. IT has been normal on all the bloodwork through the years. I think I have done the glucometer tests in the past. Those are the ones where you prick you finger, right? I have done that. Years ago. Except I can't remember why. And what's interesting about Buteyko is that while practicing "reducing breathing" I was able to raise my capnometer c02 readings. Not really high, but the past the range of 35-40 or whatever is considered the baseline. I was able to do that, but the problem is no matter how many hours a day and months I practiced, I couldn't seem to raise it. The reduced breathing definitely helps with slowing down my nervous system, but the overall practice was not shifting my day to breathing. I really couldn't raise my CP. The only time it started to go up was when I started the Prilosec and Zantac, but the effects of those didn't last long (Which is why I stopped taking them). But there's something tied to the acid and the burping. When I did the iboga (the plant shrub I talked about that healed me instantly) I burped for hours before being able to breathe again.

I have wondered if I have LOW stomach acid, but all my attempts to take Betaine HCL did nothing. And then why would the readings of my 24-hour pH test be off-the-charts acidic.

Does anyone know the function/mechanism of PPIs or H2 blockers with regard to carbon dioxide? Oy hydrogen? My body seemed to react positively to them initially, but then I regressed again.

Thanks!
 

Diokine

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So I'm roughly analyzing under the hypothesis that vagal nerve or cholinergic fatigue accounts for the gastric disturbances (and essentially the respiratory issues as well, since proper respiration requires cooperation and balance in the autonomic nervous system.) This fatigue means that tissue is unable to respond to the stimulus of acetylcholine and is unable to regulate the flux of calcium required for proper orchestration of the different sets of tissue.

Both histamine and acetylcholine work to increase Ca2+ levels in tissue through separate means, histamine operating in a roughly non-selective fashion, and acetylcholine operating in a ligand-gated fashion. I think one way to conceptualize this is that presence of histamine receptors sets a sort of "basal tone" of calcium pressure, whereas stimulation through acetylcholine allows this pressure to manifest as movement of calcium. More histamine activity means greater response of tissues to cholinergic stimulation.

Orchestration of these players is required for proper generation and maintenance of stomach acid and bicarbonate levels.

So ranitidine is a H2 histatmine receptor antagonist, reducing the "calcium pressure" of tissues essentially. But it shows some pro-cholinergic effects and appears to augment the effects of the parasympathetic nervous system. The mechanisms for this haven't been fully worked out, but it appears to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (the enzyme that degrades acetylcholine,) extending the phase of cholinergic stimulation and partially reducing the effects of nervous fatigue.
 
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Caitlin

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So I'm roughly analyzing under the hypothesis that vagal nerve or cholinergic fatigue accounts for the gastric disturbances (and essentially the respiratory issues as well, since proper respiration requires cooperation and balance in the autonomic nervous system.) This fatigue means that tissue is unable to respond to the stimulus of acetylcholine and is unable to regulate the flux of calcium required for proper orchestration of the different sets of tissue.

Both histamine and acetylcholine work to increase Ca2+ levels in tissue through separate means, histamine operating in a roughly non-selective fashion, and acetylcholine operating in a ligand-gated fashion. I think one way to conceptualize this is that presence of histamine receptors sets a sort of "basal tone" of calcium pressure, whereas stimulation through acetylcholine allows this pressure to manifest as movement of calcium. More histamine activity means greater response of tissues to cholinergic stimulation.

Orchestration of these players is required for proper generation and maintenance of stomach acid and bicarbonate levels.

So ranitidine is a H2 histatmine receptor antagonist, reducing the "calcium pressure" of tissues essentially. But it shows some pro-cholinergic effects and appears to augment the effects of the parasympathetic nervous system. The mechanisms for this haven't been fully worked out, but it appears to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (the enzyme that degrades acetylcholine,) extending the phase of cholinergic stimulation and partially reducing the effects of nervous fatigue.


Diokine, this is still way over my head, but I truly appreciate all the insight! I mean it.

Could you enlighten me how you think calcium and calcium channels plays a role in this? I ask because the researcher I spoke with told me that iboga (the plant medicine that healed me temporarily) was a calcium channel blocker. I think I mentioned this when we were corresponding.

Here is the only pub med article I could find. It seems like it is centered on the heart, but maybe there's an element that relates to all portions of the body? I don't really understand what it means about hERG channels, etc.

Anti-addiction drug ibogaine inhibits voltage-gated ionic currents: A study to assess the drug's cardiac ion channel profile

I found online that gapapentin is a voltage-gated calcium channel blocker. Maybe that is why it initially helped me. I titrated off it because it helped me at first, but then I felt like the benefits plateaued. I was gaining weight, felt super sluggish, and was feeling super depressed and anxious on it. That's why I titrated off.

As always, thanks!
 
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Hi Empowered Living,

Thanks for sharing this. As you might have seen in the thread above I mentioned that I practiced Buteyko Breathing religiously this winter (2019) and in 2015, too. I have now worked with three different practitioners -- two in the US and one in Australia. I was practicing reduced breathing for 90 minutes a day this winter and still not seeing results. My CP was consistently between 12 and 15 seconds. The only time my CP when up (on two different occasions) was when I started taking a PPI and an H2 blocker, respectively, which leads me to believe that that acid production is somehow causing an issue. At that point it got up to 20-25. I am no longer on the acid blockers because as soon as I started to get better I got worse and my CP went down again. But there is some sort of connection there.

I understand about the mouth-breathing, too. For years I have been a mouth-breather and have worked hard to remedy that. For the past several years I sleep with paper tape on my mouth at night. It helps me sleep better, but it hasn't changed my co2 levels considerably. I even got a frenectomy this past January to fix a tongue tie. My tongue is now in the right place and I breathe through my nose the majority of the time now. But the Co2 levels have not shifted.

I believe in the power of the Buteyko method, and I was so excited when I first discovered it, but I have tried it so much that I think there is something else that is holding me back and keeping my C02 low. All of the Buteyko practitioners were amazed by my diligence and felt certain that I should have improved with the amount of time I was doing the reduced breathing and breath holds. When I try something I try it 100%, so it bummed me out when I tried it for so long and it didn't change things.

Thanks,
C
Hi C, that is interesting Yes you are diligent. Where you doing ABI course that is Advanced Buteyko or normal classical taught by most practitioners. I find the 2 methods are different with different outcomes in the first 30 days. In your case, it is most likely other issues/symptoms. When I tried the carnivore diet just meat and water within 2 weeks my CP went down to 12 and I had heart palpitations. Thanks for sharing. Mouth taping is awesome even if you don't do Buteyko that is a practise to continue.
 
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Caitlin

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Hi C, that is interesting Yes you are diligent. Where you doing ABI course that is Advanced Buteyko or normal classical taught by most practitioners. I find the 2 methods are different with different outcomes in the first 30 days. In your case, it is most likely other issues/symptoms. When I tried the carnivore diet just meat and water within 2 weeks my CP went down to 12 and I had heart palpitations. Thanks for sharing. Mouth taping is awesome even if you don't do Buteyko that is a practise to continue.

That's very interesting about the meat and the CP. What is your diet like in general? I am going to trying to balance my calcium and phosphate per Dr. Peat's suggestions, but am a little overwhelmed about how to do it. thanks!
 

yerrag

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Thanks for all of this Yerrag. Just to clarify, my lactic acid test is not low. IT has been normal on all the bloodwork through the years. I think I have done the glucometer tests in the past. Those are the ones where you prick you finger, right? I have done that. Years ago. Except I can't remember why.
It helps if you can get the values from a blood test and not rely on a conventional doctor's definition of what's normal. They have a wider range of acceptable and 'normal' values that differs from the optimal values of functional doctors such as Dr. Weatherby. If you aren't really "normal" and believe that you are, on the word of your conventional doctor, you would be hard pressed to find the root cause of what ails you. It is the pharma companies' way of throwing off the scent, make you helpless, where you throw in the towel and just run to your expert doctor, where you'll be told they don't know what's wrong with you, yet will give you prescription drugs to help you manage your condition.

Off the soapbox, what's your lactic acid values? And yes, the glucometer use involves pricking your finger. Your HbA1c values look okay, but since I've never used it, I don't really know how good it is to use as a basis as compared to measuring blood glucose values every hour (or even every half hour) to measure how stable your blood sugar control is. I would tell you to do a 5-hour glucose tolerance test, but it is more involved, and those with really terrible blood sugar control would faint half-way through it, so to keep that from happening, it would be simply safer to just measure your blood sugar before say lunch, and measure your blood sugar each hour after for 3-5 hours. If you can do it for 5 hours, it's even better.

nd what's interesting about Buteyko is that while practicing "reducing breathing" I was able to raise my capnometer c02 readings. Not really high, but the past the range of 35-40 or whatever is considered the baseline. I was able to do that, but the problem is no matter how many hours a day and months I practiced, I couldn't seem to raise it. The reduced breathing definitely helps with slowing down my nervous system, but the overall practice was not shifting my day to breathing. I really couldn't raise my CP.

Not surprising to me that you can raise your capnometer CO2 reading after practicing reduced breathing. After all, you are increasing CO2 retention by practiced reduced breathing. Remember my explanation just a post or two earlier? I'd explain it to you the same way regarding why you couldn't raise your CP. A likely cause is a condition of metabolic acidosis. Your body simply isn't allowing you to increase CO2 content in your blood/ecf. For that to be allowed, you have to lower the other components that are contributing to your highly acidic state. Components such as lactic acid and keto acid, or even some supplements that are acidic loads. I once was taking a lot of raw garlic, and it increased my acidity because of the sulfates. At another time, it was magnesium chloride.

The only time it started to go up was when I started the Prilosec and Zantac, but the effects of those didn't last long (Which is why I stopped taking them).

I don't know why that happens, but I know that stomach acidity requires you to have sufficient bicarbonates. The hydrochloric acid (HCl) that is your gastric juice is made with the use of CO2 where carbonic acid (H2CO3) and salt (NaCl) turn into sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and hydrochloric acid (HCl). So if you're low on CO2, you're going to have a hard time producing enough HCl.

I have wondered if I have LOW stomach acid, but all my attempts to take Betaine HCL did nothing. And then why would the readings of my 24-hour pH test be off-the-charts acidic.

I hope my previous answer helps explain that.

Stomach acidity isn't blood/ecf acidity. Just as internally our cells are acidic, and externally it isn't. Eveything has its right place.
 
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Caitlin

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Thank you for all this.

I’m struggling with the idea that I don’t have some tangible “lab” sign of acidosis. I am going to get more tests done as soon as I see the doctor later this week and check into the anion gap again. But lactic acid and co2 have always been normal in the bloodwork. I guess I just don’t know why if I had low stomach acid, I would have off-the-charts pH values in my esophagus during the 24-hr pH study that the otolaryngologist conducted. That test indicated that there is too much acid, and it is going all the way up to my esophagus and larynx. I am just venting my confusion and frustration out loud here. I truly appreciate all of your insight and advice!!!
 

yerrag

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Thank you for all this.

I’m struggling with the idea that I don’t have some tangible “lab” sign of acidosis. I am going to get more tests done as soon as I see the doctor later this week and check into the anion gap again. But lactic acid and co2 have always been normal in the bloodwork. I guess I just don’t know why if I had low stomach acid, I would have off-the-charts pH values in my esophagus during the 24-hr pH study that the otolaryngologist conducted. That test indicated that there is too much acid, and it is going all the way up to my esophagus and larynx. I am just venting my confusion and frustration out loud here. I truly appreciate all of your insight and advice!!!
You're right about being confused about the stomach acidity. Someone else might be able to explain it.

Could you do a test of pH with your urine? That is an easy test to do. A Hydrion pH test strip with pH range of 5.5-8 can be easily bought from Amazon. It's a good proxy for taking arterial blood gases to determine your blood pH. Arterial blood gas is a painful and expensive test. It's not practical at all.
 

yerrag

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Thank you! I will order the strips!
You're welcome! Those strips have helped me a lot. They'll be useful for you as well.
 
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That's very interesting about the meat and the CP. What is your diet like in general? I am going to trying to balance my calcium and phosphate per Dr. Peat's suggestions, but am a little overwhelmed about how to do it. thanks!
I do hair mineral analysis as that is a complete tissue assay & take it from there. Your ratios on the hair test are more reliable than blood tests or following protocols.
 

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